David Beckham was left out of Britain's Olympic soccer team

The decision has left many disappointed.

Sadly, the all-star soccer player, David Beckham will not be joining Britain’s Olympic soccer team. Beckham, 37, made Stuart Pearce’s short list of 35 but ultimately was not chosen to be part of the 18 player team.

The former England captain said in a statement, “Everyone knows how much playing for my country has always meant to me…So I would have been honored to have been part of this unique Team GB squad.”

“Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me. And like everyone, I will be hoping they can win the gold.”

Pearce watched Beckham play for the Los Angeles Galaxy last week, but he picked Micah Richards instead of him. According to British Media outlets, the other two over-age players chosen over Beckham were Ryan Giggs, former Manchester United team-mate and Welshman Craig Bellamy. Regulations state each squad must have 15 players born after January 1, 1989.

Robbie Savage, former Wales midfielder, criticized the exclusion of Beckham, “It’s appalling. He helped Great Britain get the Olympics…To have him on the shortlist and string him along, effectively, is quite poor.”

According to BBC Sport, Beckham played an important part in winning the London 2012 bid back at the 2005 International Olympic Committee vote in Singapore. Beckham’s presence throughout the campaign trail was often credited to being a key factor in winning the bid. It was expected for him to be given a place in the team for his efforts.

Rodney Marsh, former England striker, talks about the difficult situation Pearce was put in, “David Beckham has made it difficult for everybody because he has been public about how much he wants to play it’s made it hard for Stuart Pearce and in my eyes, he’s more of a man for making that decision.”

Beckham openly admitted his desire to play in the Olympics, “As a Londoner, I will [sic] have been really proud to have played a small part in bringing the Olympics to my home town as part of London Chairman Sebastian Coe’s team, and I can’t wait for the Games to begin and enjoy every moment along with the rest of Great Britain.”

Peter Shilton, Pearce’s former team-mate backs him in his decision, “I’ve not been watching David play in the States, but it’s a different level of football over there…David might play the first game well, but then the second game becomes a bit harder.”